Cute video of Cade

I forgot I had taken this video a few weeks ago.  Cade was in a really good mood that night and I thought it was about time I actually caught some of his talking on tape.  He can say pretty much anything you ask him to and he is using three to four word sentences now.  

TJ has always said my kids learned to talk early because they had to in order to get a word in around me!  Whatever the reason, Cody and Cade both learned to talk pretty early, especially for boys.

Cade usually talks non stop but he was really interested in seeing the video on the back of the camera as you will see in the beginning.

 It amazes me all the stuff Cade knows from being around his older siblings.  I have not caught all this on video yet but he can count to seven, sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game, sing his ABC's along with someone, tattle on his older siblings and tell you exactly what they are doing wrong, and so many other things.  If Cade has learned this much already, I wonder how fast Cole will pick it up!

Wii are Fit

The kids and TJ have been out of school all week because of the ice.  Since we were stuck inside due to the weather and because the boys are still sick, we have been improving on our Wii skills.

TJ and I are hooked on Tennis right now.  I can't even begin to tell you how sore I am.  I won't admit that to my husband though because there is no way I will let him think he has any advantage over me.

Cade and Darby "playing" tennis

they use the nunchuks to the Wii remote to pretend they're playing

A few weeks ago, I called Game Stop and they had just got a shipment in of the Wii Fit.  My husband knew how bad I wanted it so of course he got it for me.  It is awesome.  The kids get more exercise on that than anything else.

One day Cade was bugging me because he wanted to get on the balance board.  I told him to go get his own just to buy time until I finished up what I was doing.  A few minutes later, he came back with a little pillow from Cody's bed and put it on the floor.  Ever since, he has used that as his own personal balance board.  Anytime anyone is playing, he gets out his balance board and plays along.  It is so funny because, on the Wii, you make your own little "Mii" characters who look like you.  We all have one and some of our friends and family have one made on our Wii as well.  Cade knows everyone by their Mii Character.  When you're playing a game, he will sit there and wave to all the characters and call them by name.  It cracks me up!

Cade playing soccer on his "balance board"

Cody is really good at the bowling.  In fact, he wants his birthday party at the bowling alley.  I don't think he realizes real bowling is different than the Wii.  I don't think he understands he probably wont get 6 strikes in a row at his party.  The thing is, it is hard to get 6 strikes in a row on the Wii as well but Cody can do it, he has done it a couple times.

Cody bowling the other day

excuse his jammies, he has been really sick and rarely got out of them for a whole week

Here is a video of the boys running on Wii Fit.  I know it's a bad quality but at least you get the point!  If you listen closely, you can hear Cade calling the Miis by name with me.

excuse the jammies once again.  I swear my kids do get dressed...sometimes!

Party Time!

McKinly turned 11 last Thursday and for some reason, I agreed to have her party here.  She wanted to do a Mall Scavenger Hunt and then have some friends spend the night.  I didn't realize that some meant 13!  

Despite the fact that 14 girls spent the night at my house, they had a great time and the party was a lot of fun.

It started off by everyone meeting over here so we could eat pizza and form our scavenger hunt teams.  Cathy, Jen, my niece Ashley, and I were in charge of all the girls.  Cathy, Jen, and Ashley each took a team while I was supposed to be waiting in the food court for the teams to make it back.  Each team had a list of items that they had to find and take pictures.  Most of the pictures had to include a team member.

Some examples were...

Team member wearing white sunglasses

Team member modeling pink shoes

Team member with a candy bar wrapper

Team member kissing a mannequin on the cheek...

although I later learned I didn't specify which cheek!  

We found out a lot of mannequins don't have heads these days so this is what one team came up with!!

There were a lot of other clues they had to find and take pictures of and there were also a few items they had to bring back.

After the hunt, the girls all wanted to get their pictures taken at a little photo booth in the mall. 

When we got back to the house we had cake...

McKinly loves monkeys right now so her mom got her the coolest monkey cake

She opened presents...

Made homemade Root Beer floats with her Dad...

Played around (mostly with the little boys' toys) and then finally settled down to watch a movie...

They were very quiet all night long and we didn't even notice that half of them never went to sleep.  I did notice that they all were awake by 6:15 this morning!

It really wasn't bad at all but it is definitely a once a year type thing.

Trust me, a birthday/slumber party with 14 girls is a lot easier than dealing with two really sick boys.  The clean up is much nicer as well.  This bug that Cody and Cole now have is lasting a lot longer than one night!  More on that later...

An apple a day

Grandma Sandy sent us this cool new apple peeler and corer for Christmas.  The kids love it, especially Cody.  

He eats at least an apple every day!

Rummy!

No one likes a cheater, but I guess when you're 5 months old you don't think anyone is paying attention!  Mommy is a quick one and caught him in the act! 

 

Concentrate on your own hand, buddy!

Mr. Sophisticated

T.J. refuses to let me get Cade's haircut again.  He likes that it's still soft, baby hair.  The problem is, it's starting to get a little out of control.  If he sleeps on it wrong, he wakes up with one crazy looking hairdo.

In order to convince me Cade's hair can be manageable, T.J. brushed it after his bath the other night.

I don't know which is worse...the unmanageable or the comb over!?

New Year's Eve

My last Holiday post and then I should be all caught up!  I know it shouldn't have taken me this long but things have been crazy around here.  Ty is still playing indoor soccer, Cody started Basketball again, Cade got pretty sick and now Cole came down with the junk as well.  The rest of the kids will probably get it and so will T.J. I'm sure.  He's worse than the kids when he is sick!  I can't get it, I don't have time!

We didn't do much for New Year's Eve.  We took Jen and Shawn out to Cheesecake Factory because they watched Sammy the whole time we were in Texas.  After that, we just hung out at their house until midnight and then headed home.  

I know, fun huh??

Cody trying to stay up until Midnight

Cole didn't know what New Year's was but enjoyed it nonetheless.

and Cade, my little party animal. He was a mess, literally! He overloaded on junk food and was jumping off the walls like crazy! He partied with everyone else when the clock struck midnight!

but as soon as we got home, he crashed...on his big boy bed!  Cade still sleeps in a crib but that night, he wanted his bed.  He hasn't slept in it since though!

Christmas Day

I know I'm a few weeks behind, but I'm trying to catch up as quick as possible.  

Every Christmas, my mom begs my little brother and I to sleep in.  We're not allowed to wake her up until 7 a.m.  My brother and I both have a hard time sleeping and we're up WAY before 7.  The sad part is, I'm 27 and he's 21.  

Uncle Jonathan waiting at the top of the stairs

The two who were supposed to be the excited ones were still passed out

They just didn't really know what was downstairs waiting for them...

The night before, Cody made Santa some "notes" from all three boys

So Santa left them a note just like it after he ate all his cookies

When the boys finally woke up (after I begged and pleaded

 for them to wake up), they were super excited to see what Santa brought them!

Cody opening his new game

Cade with his new soccer disk

Cade had more fun playing with Daddy's new motorcycle helmet

After we ate lunch and the boys had a nap, we headed over to my dad's house for another round of presents.

Grandpa Buck, Grandma Kathie, and Uncle Clay got us all a Wii for Christmas!  I love it.  I mean, the kids love it :)

Cody really enjoyed playing baseball with Uncle Clay

The boys on Christmas 

(Cole was sleeping and we didn't want to wake him up)

You know you bought your kids too many presents when they ask you to open their last few gifts.  Cody and Cade both asked me to do this.  That's what I get for shopping early, I guess they just ended up with too many presents.  We almost didn't make it home with all of them.

Christmas Eve

Every Christmas Eve, my sister throws a Christmas Eve Pajama party.  The whole family gets together at her house in their p.j.'s and we open presents from the cousins and siblings.

Uncle Jonathan (who didn't wear his pajamas) Chelsi, and Aunt Chandler

Meghan and Cody

Cousins:

Keli, Cole, Cade, Shelby, Cody, Meghan, Chelsi and Andrew

Some of the Siblings:

Uncle Carl, Me, Aunt Chandler, Uncle Jonathan, and Aunt Leslie (Uncle Clay showed up after we took this picture and the other siblings live in different states)

Family Pajama Photo

Dancing to Christmas Carols

Grandma Kathie and Cole

More Dancing...

Hot potato ornament game

All the kiddos...

Uncle Clay, Meghan, Chelsi, Shelby, Keli, Unhappy Cade, Andrew, Aunt Chandler, and Cody

Grandpa Buck and Cody

Happy baby Cole

One more shot of the back of Cole's Pajamas

After the party we headed back to Nana's house to put out milk and cookies for Santa.  The boys went to bed really easy that night, they sure didn't want Santa to pass our house up!

Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas in Texas.  We were there 8 days but it still wasn't long enough for me to see everyone I wanted to see. 

I'm going to try and get caught up with all my posts in the next few days.  We'll start with the Day before Christmas Eve and go from there.

Scroll down to see our trip to Market Street...

 

Christmas Adam

The day before Christmas Eve, which T.J. refers to as Christmas Adam, we took the boys to Market Street to see the big Christmas Tree.

Cade reaching for the very top

Cody's turn...you can see they were nowhere near the top!

Family photo...well, the part of the family that was in Texas.

What a sweet boy

I love this picture of Cody staring at the tree

After we ate dinner, we headed over to the fountains to let the kids play.  Since it's winter the fountains aren't on but they got to play in the lights.

Cade loved them

Cody and Uncle Jonathan pointing to his favorite statue (Uncle Jonathan's favorite statue)

Cody, my little photographer

Cade

Daddy and Cody playing in the lights

It started getting late so we headed home...

Cade sure loves his Uncle Jonathan